Consumer Reviews

This Is Not Your Wife's Beetle

by Keane1 from Springfield, MO on Fri Dec 07 2012

Talk about an upgrade! My wife owned a 2002 Beetle and the 2013 blows it away! Sporty, fast, handles great and the technology is very advanced. All for less than 30K! Fun, Fun, Fun to drive...and you don't have to get the Turbo for it to be fast. Inline 5 cyl has 170hp.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

28 out of 28 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Fun driving with TDI convertible 6 speed manual

by Three S from NJ on Thu Apr 10 2014

I have the TDI convertible with 6 speed manual transmission. After 10,000 I have had no major problems, it continues to run very well. The only problems I have experienced: 1) The auto windows getting stuck. The windows automatically go down a 1/2 inch when you go to open the door. When the temp first dropped below freezing and there was frost, these would freeze and you couldn't open the doors, then you'd have to reset the power windows. The dealer sprayed some silicon lube on the window seals and that seems to take care of it. But probably need to do that before every cold season. 2) Rear visibility is poor. I knew this going in, you have to be very careful backing out of the driveway, parking spots, changing lanes. Rely more on the side mirrors, and I'm considering an after market reverse camera. 3)There are a few more small paint chips on the hood than I would expect after 8 months and 10,000 miles. Could be all the salt during a harsh winter getting thrown off the road, but I'm keeping an eye on it. Otherwise it is a fun car to drive, but more fun in the warm weather with the top down. The top drops ridiculously fast, I even "raced" the top against a friend's BMW 1 series convertible, and it was much faster. You can put it down while moving up to 30mph too which is nice. Never had a car with Bluetooth either, that is a feature I'm hooked on. Initial acceleration is pretty good, mileage is up around 45mpg on the highway. As a guy, I'm getting less people making fun of it and more people liking it than I expected too.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Commuting

Does recommend this car!!

20 out of 20 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Beetle cutie

by Love bug from Seattle Wa on Sun Jan 26 2014

Live my new beetle convertible. The navigation, Bluetooth features are great. Top is one button operation to put up or down. The styling is awesome and it has a nice little pickup when you step on the gas. I also like the keyless entry. Fun to drive. Only design flaw is when it rains and you open the trunk, water goes right inside. Poor design on that part.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

13 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Reliable car but windows freeze/doors won't open

by Itsabug1 from New Hampshire on Sat Mar 15 2014

Purchased a 2013 Beetle in Spring of 2013 (not a convertible). Enjoyed driving it all summer and into the fall. Then winter came and the aggravation started. Pros: style, fun to drive, Bluetooth capability, love the interior and lighting, awesome to drive on snowy and slushy roads - this car was unstoppable even on the worse roads this past winter. Cons: windows frequently freeze shut and you can't open the doors! Very poor design here as the window has to drop down so the door opens. I've literally had to force the door open by pulling the window out of the track; but then I'm unable to close the door as the frozen window hits the track that it's supposed to automatically slide back into. I've found that you can close the door to the point that it partially latches though. On most days, after driving about 10 miles with the heat on high and the vent pointing toward the window, enough melting occurs so the window works again. Not the best solution, but there are no other options I'm aware of except having a winter car without this ridiculous design feature and only using the Beetle in the warmer months.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Commuting

Does recommend this car!!

12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Did you?

You either admire the styling or you don't

by Carbon Delahunt from Lexington, Kentucky on Wed Nov 27 2013

I was drawn to this car by the styling. It draws a lot of attention. I purchased a 2013 Beetle 2.5 L, 6 spd auto, sunroof, 17 inch tires, retro wheels, leather interior, new. I have 23K miles on it. I average 24 mpg. Although, if I didn't drive it fast the mileage would be nearer 30 mpg. I discovered the change in gear shift points by placing the auto trans in "S". Try it. It will amaze you. This thing is quick. Really quick. The handling is a bit soft. I added performance struts and Z 50 tires and it now handles like a real sportscar. If you put the car in cruise control at 55-60 mph, on rolling terrain the mileage is near 42 mpg! Mine is slate gray. So it does not look feminine. The carpet is cheap. The center arm-rest is ok but could be more adjustable. The "C" pillar visibility is poor. Consequently, changing lanes can be tricky in heavy traffic. However, I paid $22,000. for the bug and it is a really good value. I like this car a lot and I recommend it.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Most Reliable Car I've Owned

by Beetlebug lover from New Jersey on Tue Mar 26 2013

I purchased my 2013 Convertible Volkswagan Beetle in February of 2013. It was one of the best decisions, I made this year. This is actually my dream car.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Did you?

LOVE - LOVE - LOVE!!

by Sporty/Smartie Girl from New York, NY on Sat Oct 26 2013

I leased ($316/mo in NY) the 2013 VW Beetle Turbo, 6-speed manual, Sun & Sound (Fender) Edition in Platinum Gray in April 2013, and it is FABULOUS!...Gorgeous modern vintage Styling..6-speed that shifts like butter...Very cool seats (get the charcoal gray w/blue stripe), that are amazingly comfy...Fender stereo system is phenomenal...The engine is too good for driving around the schluburbs of NY!...I just hope it doesn't get too popular!!...The only cons: gas mileage (it's a Turbo - what else can I expect?); the rear window defroster is barely alive, and the lack of colors to choose from (love the Platinum Gray, but it will show every ding, etc.)

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Work

Does recommend this car!!

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Did you?

german design flaw

by beetle bailey from Newark,DE on Sat Mar 01 2014

this vehicle is all I expected as it is a diesel convertible,great mpg along with the openness of a motorcycle surrounded with steel and many modern things to make it easy to use.the one thing I have dealt with and seems to be a mistake is ice collects above the rubber gasket on the doors and won't allow the windows to go down which must happen to both open and close the doors with the convertible top.I would recommend a heat element be placed there,in the glass, with a remote start feature included .I love the rear view of the vehicle,very BOXTER-ish looking with the spoiler as a nice touch in the 2013 model.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you?

Cutest little car I've ever owned

by Runner from Murrysville, PA on Mon May 20 2013

Had some minor issues the first 3 weeks but the dealer took care of them immediately. Always drove larger cars but I love the car and the way it handles.

Purchased a New car

Uses car for Just getting around

Does recommend this car!!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you?

First time VW owner

by KayDee from Fort Lauderdale, Fl on Wed Mar 29 2017

I have a 2013 vw beetle and it ended up being my second car and I have to say I was actually impressed by the it considering people seem to judge it so harshly. I only have a 2.5 liter engine, it's super fun to drive and actually pretty quick, I couldn't imagine how the boosted ones are. The one thing I have to say is that I constantly have problems with the Bluetooth and the blind spots on the driver side and passenger side pillars are pretty bad. Overall though, I've enjoyed the car and I might stick with German cars from now on.

Purchased a Used car

Does recommend this car!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?